10 Triumphs Of Low Budget Horror Film Making

7. Criminally Insane (1975)

criminally insane One of the cheapest films I have ever seen, Criminally Insane nonetheless manages to squeeze every penny out of its low budget - $30,000 - to create a skewered mini masterpiece. The storyline is pretty simple - Ethel is released from a mental hospital way before she should be. She basically kills virtually anyone she comes into contact with. I should mention that Ethel is a morbidly obese misanthropic freak? She kills everyone who tries to stop her eating - including Granny and anyone who comes to the house. There is a fabulous twist ending. One of the best 'bad' films ever made, for those of us who like low budget B Movie shenanigans, Criminally Insane Only clocks in at 60 minutes but manages to pack a lot of action into the film. If people would just leave Ethel alone to eat she would be okay! Saying that, she is a rather unpleasant character - spouting anti-semitic remarks about her doctor, and her manner is so taciturn and nasty, it is hard to feel any emotion for her other than repulsion. Food is as much a character as Ethel in the movie. It is her motivation and reason to be. Definitely one to check out, if you enjoy shoe string budget psycho-horror.
 
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Contributor

My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!